The Thirteenth Fantasy
by JusticeAvenger93
Summary: When an ancient entity of Pulse origins awakens on the outskirts of a Cocoon city, paradise is threatened from within. Seven chosen by destiny must choose between saving mankind, and saving themselves.
1. The Hanging Edge: Defiers of Fate

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my OC, Zac Khalifa_**

The thirteen days after we awoke...were the beginning of the end.

Barren wastelands and hot crisp desert flash by, occasionally swapped with lush foliage that clung to the walls of the canyon. Although it was dry, peace reigned and silence was normal. Any sound immediately shook up the entire environment as rocks crumbled and the swift fall of water changed briefly and the air vibrated. The skies overhead were a light blue but clouded with an eerie cast of mystery.

On this day, the canyon was disturbed again as a sleek, futuristic train – cylindrical in shape and rounded to allow for aerodynamic travel – bolted through, hugging the one-way track beneath it as it swerved and ducked through the canyon, cutting close edges to possibly fatal collisions and taking shortcuts under waterfalls. Each time they went under the gallons of water that fell, the inside of the cab was obliterated with sound as water pounded the roof, until a second later they were gone. Inside, startled gasps were met with the harsh voice of a patrol unit, tasked with guarding the passengers and also to prevent any sort of violence on the citizens' parts.

The passengers' trip had been long and tiring, beginning from the seaside recreational town of Bodhum and still ongoing. They expected to land somewhere on the lowerworld – it brought shivers to even think about it – in two days.

Everyone knew not to make any sudden movements or talk out of turn. PSICOM's soldiers were allowed to carry guns and even allowed to fire on civilians if necessary. The way his bright – yellow eyes alit behind a mask – regarded them as if they were underworld scum, there was no need to make things any worse than they already were. So the trip was spent in absolute silence, bar the occasional whimper from a child and the steady comfort of a mother's voice a second later.

And every time they swerved around a particularly sharp corner or water crashed onto the roof, the crowd inside sucked in their breath. Several were reduced to the point of nervous shaking, their bodies a constant twitch.

One particular passenger remained calm though.

She wore a Purge uniform just like the other passengers, even with the same device that bound her hands together to make escape more difficult. Yet unlike the others, this woman's head was low, and although only a small piece of pale pink hair could be seen, trailing out of the uniform hood, her bright blue eyes were regarding the PSICOM officer on duty very carefully. Occasionally her gaze was met from the officer, but she was smart enough to avert it long enough to avoid suspicion.

A man to her right glanced over, catching her eyes dart over to the door, as if she were planning something. He shook his head, but said nothing.

The train rattled ever close to a wall of rock. Only a small hole outlined with purple barriers that stopped any unknown machines from trespassing was evidence that the train wasn't going to collide with the rock. They came closer and closer to the first purple ring. It was dotted with codes in the Cocoon alphabet, though to any regular citizen, they meant nothing.

The middle-aged man sitting to the woman's right was Sazh Katzroy.

Sitting to his left was Lightning. That's all he had gotten out of her when they met just a few hours ago. Then, he had watched as she willingly volunteered to board the Purge train despite her status as a Guardian Corps soldier. Her shoulder pauldron signified that at least. All he knew was that she had something up her sleeve, and he wasn't about to miss it.

He just didn't know if that plan would work.

Sazh glanced up to find the officer's gun barrel pointed in his face, his eyes staring down a very lethal weapon. The the officer was only running a scan for weapons and anything metal, so he moved on quickly, making his way down the aisle and back to the front again, standing guard.

The officer was momentarily distracted with a particularly whimpering mother, so Sazh took the chance to speak, his voice hardly more than a whisper.

"You serious?"

His question was met with an impatient hiss. "Bequiet."

Sazh glanced at the officer's laser. That man could probably hit a target from four hundred yards, easy.

"Best of luck."

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt the woman – Lightning – tense, but any thought was shattered a second later as the Purge train collided with the first barrier, lurching forward as a result of the enormous impact. The officer up front lost his balance and nearly fell, cries of surprise and fright erupting in the cabin.

Immediately, the woman bolted from her seat, sprinting in the middle of the aisle as the PSICOM soldier struggled to stand upright. He raised his gun to open fire, but she leapt into the hair, using her bound hands to wrap underneath his chin and twist his neck around, killing him instantly. Screams followed in her wake. Yet the woman blocked out everything, focusing on her one goal and shutting out everything else – escape.

From the soldier's hands fell a black and blue device...the remote that turned the passengers' binds on and off. In her landing she made sure to crush it, grinding the circuits inside to nothing more than sparks and dust.

"She did it!" Sazh exclaimed, his hands now free.

"What's happening?!"

"What's she doing?!"

The door to the end of the aisle that led to the next part of the train, the luggage storage, hissed open to reveal two more PSICOM soldiers. They didn't even hesitate to raise their weapons, charging in to the chaos.

"Hands up!" one shouted, "freeze!"

The men and woman screamed as bullets shot from their guns, following a fast-moving blur that had hurtled into the air once more, shedding her Purge uniform and landing in front of the soldiers, twisting and turning to avoid their fire. The fire ceased for just a moment, but it was plenty of time to allow the woman to lash out with her foot, catching the officer in green in the temple, knocking him out cold. Even the thick material of their masks didn't help against her solid-toed boot.

The soldier standing next to her stood in shock, remembering her face from the Bodhum station earlier in the morning. That woman, dressed in a Guardian Corps uniform and donning the rank of sergeant on her left shoulder, had demanded for admittance on the Purge train, disregarding the fact he knew – that they were all to be killed in the Hanging Edge anyways, their present location now. The woman had worn something of a half-red cape that was tucked under a flap beneath her shoulder. Her boots were stiff leather brown, but the bottoms were a hard silver, hence why his comrade was knocked out to his right. Her uniform was white with light brown sections highlighted by the outline of pockets. Two bronze magnets were attached to the ends in order to close the uniform up, but she kept it open, most likely for easier movement. A holster was wrapped around her waist and attached by buckles, all dark leather. Even her miniskirt was a special type of leather, as was her navy gloves. In the ceiling light, the golden casings on the back of her gloves revealed extra bullets tucked away. The color of the gloves nearly matched her bright, blue eyes that coldly regarded him as she righted herself, hardly breathing hard.

The last thing he remembered was a flash of pink, spiky hair and the back of her hand as she tore the gun away from his grip, spinning and using the momentum to pound him on the side of the head.

He collapsed in an instant.

The people behind her were swiftly casting aside their uniforms, hastily gathering together. She entered into the next room, taking a stand in the crook of the door, gun clenched firmly in her right hand. She pounded the switch open with her fist, holding her breath.

As soon as it slid open she jumped out, unloading a clip of bullets into the next room. She immediately spotted a pair of yellow eyes in the darkness of the next cabin and aimed there. He reached her before she did, though, forcing her to duck to avoid taking a bullet in the face. The woman felt hot steel whip through her hair, just missing her head.

Once more she pivoted on one leg, using the momentum of the turn to catch him full-force in the stomach. Her kick knocked him backwards a few feet, though not dead. A second green soldier ran out behind him, and the last bullets in her gun were fired in his chest.

She breathed out, the first wave of adrenaline nearly making her dizzy.

Casting the empty gun away, she swiftly armed herself with the fallen guards' weapons and continued on, heart pounding wildly.

Back in the passenger cabin, chaos was everywhere. One man had taken a bullet to the shoulder while one was dead from the soldiers' erratic fire. Children were taken into the arms of their parents, but one boy was huddled in a corner, his head tucked between his knees. In between ordering citizens around and tossing leftover guns to brave passengers, Sazh kneeled down to the boy.

He announced his presence with a hand to the shoulder. Something nudged at the top of his head. "Hey. You all right?" he asked, concerned. Where were the boy's parents?

Seeing his worried eyes, he quickly added, "Don't worry; I'm not a l'Cie."

Suddenly a small, golden chocobo chick popped out of his afro, peering over the edge of his brown hair and chirping at the boy. The latter was surprised at first, but a smile came over his face, and he stood to rejoin his parents.

Sazh sighed in relief and began to lead the second wave of rebels.

Lightning was surrounded.

Two PSICOM elites stood between her and the next cabin, while two on opposite diagonal sides and one behind her made progression impossible while remaining alive. One step forward and she would have a hundred holes in her head.

"Put your hands in the hair and the weapons down!" a soldier commanded, waving his gun for emphasis. She glanced at him, and did drop the guns. Both clattered to the floor.

"Now hands in the air!" he barked, beginning to walk slowly towards her, cautious. When she didn't comply, he grew angry."Now!"

Before he could hit her with the butt of his gun, she raised her left hand.

All the while she watched him as she snapped her index and thumb together, triggering the anti-gravity device all GC soldiers at or above the rank of sergeant had engraved in the tips of their fingers – the Grav-con Unit. It broke the bonds between gravity and the matter inside one's body in order to wield a sort of ability close to magic, but not quite. It gave the user an aversion to gravity and incredible speed. This was what Lightning triggered with a snap of her fingers.

Immediately, a wave of energy erupted over her body, growing until her body was covered in purple, metallic sparks. Her body glowed a strange, purple hue as time seemed to slow down, though in reality, it hadn't. Onlyshehad sped up.

Leaving that officer in surprise, she arched backwards, sailing over the floor with her fist guiding the way. She spun to face the officer behind her and used the force of her movement to slam him against the sliding door as a shockwave erupted from under them; bruising his ribs with a knee to the stomach. His yellow eyes faded and she ripped his gun away, twisting on the door and propelling off of it again with no more than a determined glance upwards.

By now they had opened fire, but they were too slow. Much too slow.

Lightning twisted her body so that she was flying feet-first and curled her knees to her chest, building strength in her legs. Just two feet away, she struck out, catching him in the chest. She didn't stop to analyze the damage before she unloaded all the bullets in her two guns on the soldiers diagonal to the aisle. Her body seemed to float in midair before she flipped onto the ceiling, her head upside down. One soldier remained standing.

He shook but raised his gun anyways, trying to pinpoint the laser beam to her forehead. In his sights, she was an easy target, but her trigger finger was generous.

His life ended in a second. She could at least grant him that.

She dug her gunblade out – buried in a pile of luggage, weapons, and other odds and ends just as the mechanical door behind her slid open. Sazh emerged, followed by a trio of grim-faced rebels armed with guns they had looted from the fallen bodies no doubt. She didn't cast a look at them and instead loaded her gunblade once again.

"So far so good," Sazh said, doing a headcount. There were at least twenty others who had wanted to help lead the rebellion against the Purge train. "They all want to fight."

Looking out the windows, they saw flashes of green and airships colliding, smoke billowing as bullets and lasers flew everywhere. The sky was dark and dotted with illuminating beasts, commanded by the government. Each of them recognized this place – the Hanging Edge. It had donned on them since Lightning's rebellious fight that the Purge train had never intended to even come close to the lowerworld...they were being taken to the Hanging Edge...to be killed.

Lightning hefted her gunblade, swinging the point in front of Sazh, who stepped back in surprise. She didn't travel light; that was for sure. The woman sighed in impatience – she didn't have time to order around a group of newbies to war.

"Good for them."

They had fully entered into the Hanging Edge, a complete and utter warzone.

Outside, war rocked the skies. The noise was so loud it would seem the world were ending out there. And maybe it was.

Lightning found an emergency hatch blocked off by storage units. She pushed them aside and flipped it up. Immediately a rush of air swept in, nearly knocking her off her feet. But she stepped into it anyways, resisting the amount of force that threatened to suck her outside. Keeping a hand steady on the handle she leaned out, breathing in deeply. At any moment a stray attack could find its way to her, but she never faltered and instead surveyed the world around here. She had done it. She had stopped the Purge.

Yet there was still one thing she had yet to accomplish.

The train went deeper into the Hanging Edge. No going back now. She turned and gazed upon the Hanging Edge, though unlike so long ago, she wasn't afraid anymore. Now, hanging out of a Purge train in the midst of a battlefield, she knew no fear.

There was nothing but determination in her eyes.

A spray of high-powered bullets and rocket-propelled grenades were suddenly fired at the train as reports were received of a rebellion. The plan before was to simply murder the deportees in the Hanging Edge...and that plan was still going to be enacted. Nonetheless, the train gunned on, slicing a path through the carnage. A fatal hit from a high-powered rocket, or perhaps a kamikaze PSICOM-controlled beast to crash into the engine, and Lightning's plans would come screeching to a halt. One was heading for the train right now, a dragon-type machina that fired bolts of electricity. Not only were its attacks weakening the support stilts of the tracks, but it could potentially derail another train car. One had already fallen into the abyss, but Lightning couldn't have predicted its attack then.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a missile launcher in Sazh' hands. Perfect.

"Give me that," she demanded, but before he could protest, she had taken it from his grasp and hefted it onto her shoulder, leaning against the frame for balance. She peered through the scope and closed her left eye, focusing on the monster in the crosshairs. She could see it, blue illuminating its wings. The weapon locked on, signaling a bright red hue. She held her breath and squeezed the trigger, feeling the painful kick as the missile was launched, heading for the beast. It hit its target, exploding on impact. Parts rained down on the train as they passed through.

She fired another missile, gritting her teeth when it missed its target.

That missfire cost another train car as another enemy rained down upon them, firing a slew of bolts that derailed the car, sending it careening into Lake Bresha below the Hanging Edge. Following was a much bigger threat.

The woman's eyes widened as a scorpion-like monster took up the chase, clamping down on the back of the train and sending it screeching to a halt, sparks shooting from beneath the train. The sudden halt of momentum sent Lightning stumbling back into the cabin, where she dropped the missile launcher in favor of her own gunblade. The train car was ripped off leading to the front, leaving a gaping hole where the machine's tail hung. Through it she watched as the monster brought its tail hard on the train, whipping it back and forth in an attempt to simply knock it into the abyss. The impact rocked the entire train, shoving Sazh to the floor.

When it ceased its attack, Sazh began to have doubts. "Run!" he shouted, abandoning all reason. After all, where was he going to run...out into open space? The thought of running away was ludicrous to Lightning. She righted herself and headed for a hole in the roof, jumping through with no problems.

Sazh gaped at her in disbelief before toting his own dual-wielded guns and going after her. What the hell was she doing?

"I meant away!"

Lightning's impressive display of acrobatics proved to be much harder to replicate than Sazh had originally thought. She had merely leaped upwards. Sazh, not exactly the spring chicken he used to be, had to find a foothold to climb up, hauling himself out of the serrated-edged hole with effort. Thankfully his gloves gave him protection when gripping the sharp edges. He crawled out and looked up, immediately wishing he hadn't.

The crazy lady – Lightning – was facing off against a huge scorpion-like beast that bore two revolving saws on the end of each hand. She fearlessly raised her sword against it, hefting it in front of her. She narrowed her eyes, making sure the monster knew who its opponent was.

In response the machine leaped into the air several stories high, its spotlights blinding them both before it came crashing back down on the train, shaking Sazh to the bones.

"Hey, hey, hey! Let's be rational now! No need to get ourselves killed!"

"A Manasvin Warmech," she suddenly said, remembering this PSICOM-controlled war machine from her studies in the military academy.

As long as she kept her guard up and –

Before she could finish her thoughts, the Warmech darted forward, slicing the air in front of her before she was airborne, leaping backwards and out of harm's way. Her cold eyes regarded it carefully, but she was confident she could beat it nonetheless.

Sazh, however, was hell-bent on escaping as soon as possible.

"They're sending in the big guns now..." he trailed off. No response. She had every intention of fighting the Warmech. "What do we do?"

Irritated she snapped, "Watch and learn. Just don't get in my way."

Sazh nodded, sure that wouldn't be a problem with that long blade that she had flicked out since the beginning of the fight. Friendly fire wasn't exactly an option right now.

The Warmech raised an arm to attack. Lightning's muscles tensed on instinct, dodging once again before it could tear her to ribbons. This time, its rotators were powered up with electricity, no doubt bolts upon bolts stored in the Warmech, perfect for frying any Purge deportee into a crisp. Sazh shook, visibly nervous.

"We're not actually going to...fight that thing, right?" he asked.

"What do you think?"

Sazh shook his head and gripped his own dual pistols, sleek and obsidian in color. They'd never been used before; pilots that were unfortunate enough to crash in some hostile place like the Vile Peaks were given some amount of protection with the handguns, but Sazh had never encountered an issue like that. This time, he was going to put all of that training with the pistols to work.

"I've got these...hope they're good enough," he said, and braced himself.

Lightning resumed a strong stance, her blade gripped tightly in her right hand and her arm guarding against her chest. Her blue eyes watched every movement of the Warmech, watching for any sort of unpredictability. Any sudden moves and she'd dodge out of the way.

"Right."

With a twitch of her eye she leapt into battle, sprinting straight for its head, gleamed in all of the lights of the Hanging Edge. The Warmech was startled, but mechanically switched to defense, locking its two arms together to form a barrier on top of the train. It dug the serrated chains into the chipped paint of the orange, keeping them in place.

She smirked and just as she reached the arms, vaulted over them and struck the head with her gunblade. She got off another stab, sinking it to the hilt, when sparks showered from the wound and she was forced to backflip out of harm's way. But she knew every move was being analyzed. Every second longer it took to fight the Warmech meant the machine was gathering more data on her abilities and measure of power. She knew now that she'd have to be much careful when delving in to avoid its painful reach.

She tested this theory by feigning an attack. It immediately raised its arms to cut her down, but she jumped back, bouncing lightly on the tip of her toes to retain balance.

"It's gathering data on everything we do."

"What?" he said, surprised. He had been in the middle of firing a round of bullets in its face, hoping none ricocheted.

She shook her head, annoyed.

"You mean that thing learns more about us the longer we fight?! Great!"

"It has the ability to self-destruct, too," she said, before flicking her gunblade into a gun, firing a round before transforming it back.

"...Fantastic!"

Dispatch it quickly, and the Manasvin Warmech falls easily.

That's what she was taught in the event of an encounter with a rogue monster. This time, this wasn't necessarily a rogue Warmech, but it was actually focused on killing her...fromthe orders of its creators.

One more strike and she was sure it would go down. The problem was getting to it beforeitdid.

The Warmech had different ideas.

It leapt backwards onto the last train car and dug its arms into the sides of the train, rotators slicing firmly into the thick metal. It began shaking the train, tossing the two from side to side.

Lightning lowered her weapon. "Fall back!" she commanded, before racing to the edge of the train car. From there their feet were steadier, but not for long.

Sazh waved a hand, sure they were out of harm's way. Lightning rolled her eyes at his cockiness. Cockiness could get you killed.

"Not so tough now, huh?" he taunted, but was cut short when a burst of light erupted from the crook of its arms, charging a boost.

"Hey, that wasn't like a challenge now, all right?" he said, trying to reassure the Warmech. It was pointless.

"He's tearing the entire train off the tracks!" Lightning said in surprise, before turning and running.

Sazh glanced at her, then back at the Warmech, unsure of what to do. There was no telling as to what it was going to do, and he wasn't sticking around to find out.

"Time to go!"

In one swift movement, the two train cars were ripped from their tracks and into the air, creating a near vertical roof. Sazh and Lightning fell, beginning to slide into the abyss, but she used her gunblade to right herself, balancing on it before sprinting for the edge of the car. She spotted a rail lining the edge just before the space dropped into darkness. Reaching out, her hand gripped the rail and she swung her body onto it, wedging the edge in the space between the soles of her boots and the arch of her foot. The slickness allowed her to skate down the edge, gaining time. Just before dropping off she jumped, twisting her body to face the Warmech when she landed once again.

This was all impressive and whatnot, but certainly nothing Sazh could do at the present moment.

Sazh's face was nothing but terror as she slid closer and closer to death. His boots provided no traction. "I'm coming!" he shouted.

Lightning gritted her teeth. "Just jump!"

Every fiber of his will fed into that leap of faith, his body completely under the control of gravity. His life flashes before his eyes, but fate had other plans, and he landed safely – if a bit bruised – beside Lightning, wrenching an awful crick in his back when doing so. The chocobo zoomed out, chirping for moral support.

"Heads up," Lightning warned, before the Warmech landed on the train car. All orders were focused on annihilating them, self-destruction or not.

"This thing...won't give up," Sazh panted, rubbing his shoulder in pain. He was getting too old for this.

"Cover me," she commanded, and sprinted forward again, raising her arm and guarding her face. Her movements were fluid and the Warmech was unable to reach her in time before she leapt into the air, gripping the handle with both hands and bringing the blade hard onto its outer surface.

She squeezed her eyes shut for the sparks that blinded her vision, and yanked her blade out. Using its head as a launchpad, she shot off from it, safely twisting in midair to avoid its rotators.

"Hey, look out!" Sazh shouted.

Lightning turned her head midair to find the Warmech's head opening into two panels, giving way to a burst of light. It shot forward, barely giving her enough time to raise her sword and shield herself against it. The impact knocked her to her knees, but she popped back up in no time.

But the move shed some light on the creature's inner weakness. Whenever the front of its head split open into two segments, its inside circuits were revealed alongside the opening that fired the cannon of energy. If she could anger it to open up again and distract it, then maybe...

"Shoot its head when it opens up again," she commanded, steadily moving forward.

Sazh had the easy part. She had to dodge its serrated rotators, and those things just kept getting faster and faster.

"But that cannon thing...!" he said.

"Just do it!"

Sazh breathed – rather shakily – and prepared his guns, keeping them aimed at its head. His nerves were getting to him as he bounced in place.

Agitated, the Warmech ceased trying to hit Lightning and opened up for another cannon attack. She leapt out of the way, holding her blade parallel to her face.

"Now!"

"Okay!"

He fired. The cannon's release came to a halt as the bullets ricocheted inside of its head, hitting circuits and shorting its functions. As if a robot, its movements became jerky...its body twitched, and the light in the Warmech's eyes faded. Weight and gravity collided, sending the Warmech collapsing over the side. No one ever saw it again.

Sazh looked at the space the Warmech had occupied just a second ago. They'd done it.

"Whew!" He fell to the ground tiredly, but with a slight grin on his face. "Oh, goodness...we're alive."

He watched Lightning stride to the edge of the train, her blade still firmly clasped in her hand. Her movements were quick. He could tell she was in the military, and not just because of her glowing shoulder pauldron.

"We did it – " a horde of warships flew by, their machine guns going off in rapid-fire succession as they battled an unknown enemy. Ahead of them, another part of the Purge train had stopped, but rebels had already spilled out, armed with fallen soldiers' guns and taking a stand. All around them, Cocoon civilians and the government clashed.

Just a few days ago, this never would have been thought possible.

Lightning stood and flicked her wrist, folding the blade into a gun and tucking it into the holster hanging from her waist. That's right, Sazh thought. She's a soldier...

"Aren't you supposed to protect civilians, Soldier?" he slowly got to his feet, wincing at the new ache in his knees. He could thank his not-so-graceful landing earlier for that. She stopped, tense. "I mean, you are Sanctum, aren't you? What're you doin' trying to stop the Purge? Why don't you tell me that?" His tone was suspicious.

"Iwasa soldier," she snapped, before diving off the end of the train, landing somewhere on the tracks below. Sazh could vaguely hear the click of her boots as she walked off...she was leaving him!

Disgruntled, the old man hurried to the edge. "Hey!" he called, "where do you think you're going?!"

No reply.

He sighed, feeling a nudge in his hair. The chocobo chick he owned burst out from his dark afro, chirping merrily. At least someone was having a blast, because he sure wasn't. He held out his hand; the chocobo chick flew in the air before its wings tired, and he landed on his palm, pecking at his wings to scratch an itch. Sazh smiled. At least he had this little guy.

"Chocobo, we just can't catch a break, can we?"

The bird chirped in agreement, taking flight once more.

"Yeah, that's a good question," Sazh mused to himself, and hurried after Lightning, carefully climbing over the edge. "Well...better follow her. Hopefully she knows where she's going, 'cause we don't."

The Purge train had stopped in the middle of a warzone, and Sazh was caught right in the middle of it all. He didn't yet know that five others in the exact same location were about to be brought together by fate.

Nah. His mindset was simpler than that.

"I'm getting' too old for this..."

Sazh fell to the ground, landing safely – if not a bit wobbly – on his feet. The chocobo followed suit, still fluttering around without a care in the world. Ahead, Lightning had stopped to survey a group of dead soldiers, looting their bodies for comms units and field navigation maps. Each soldier, she explained, carried a holographic map of the area via mechanical brace clamped on their wrists. On it was every Aerorail platform in the Hanging Edge, as well as locations of specific mobile bridges they could use to escape the chaos of the Purge train derailing. The longer they lagged behind, the more time PSICOM had to dispatch a special unit to scout out deportees.

"How do you know all of this stuff?" he asked as she studied the map, her eyes taking a mental picture of the screen. Their current location only provided one linear path forward, but eventually bridges dotting the map showed other possible routes to escape. Or that's what Sazh thought, anyhow.

"It's common knowledge in the military," she responded impatiently, casting an irritated glance his way. He threw up his hands and looked around, shaking his head.

Suddenly an airship flew just ten feet above their heads, swooping low to avoid fire from a nearby airship. He ducked, but Lightning wasn't fazed. "You sure we can get through here?"

"Guess we'll find out," she said, before tossing the map onto the soldier's fallen body. His eyebrows rose. Had she really memorized that entire map? She walked on, though moved hurriedly in between piles of debris and rubble on the slick surface of the platform. He could keep up with her pace, as long as it didn't last forever.

"This is a mess is what this is," he sighed.

However, he stopped talking when she suddenly tensed. She slightly bent over, her left hand raised, poised to strike. Her other hand was inching for the handle of her gunblade. He took that as a signal to get his own guns out.

"Hey, what–" he started, before she crouched behind a pile of debris. Her eyes peeked around it, then she waved him over. He did his best not to make a sound.

"Don't tell me you're going to fight these guys?" he whispered.

"I did back on the train," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but...these guys are on guard," he retorted loudly.

Immediately the two guards in front of them heard his voice, their heads snapping over to their location. They raised their guns, but Lightning had already leapt out, swiftly striking one down and roundhousing the other. Before Sazh could blink they had fallen to the ground.

She turned to him. "Don't do that again."

"I...yeah." There was no point in arguing. Besides, she had already moved on, investigating a gleaming blue portal. Electricity sizzled around it as it hovered in mid-air, slowly pulsing. On the rim was numerous buttons, all to which Sazh had no idea what they were or what they did.

"Bring that guy over here," Lightning said distractedly, pushing her hand through the portal. It simply reappeared on the inside – transparent.

He dragged an unconscious PSICOM officer and she once again yanked a device off of their wrist. "Lookin' at the map again?" Sazh asked, on the lookout for more soldiers.

"Deactivating."

"Deactivating what?" he asked. She dropped the brace beneath her feet, crushing the device to smithereens.

"Do you want monsters to come through this thing?" she asked, annoyed. "Then let me work."

"All right, all right...just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat..."

"What?"

"None of your business. Now let's go," she said. The portal had faded and clattered to the ground. She turned and jogged, heading for a large pile of debris centered around a broken airship. He followed suit.

In the middle of the platform was a heaping pile of junk, overflowing with blocks of metal and even a crashed airship. How in the world were they going to get overthat?Flames burned deep in the center and parts occasionally slid off the pile; the entire thing was a deathtrap. Lightning charged on anyways, bending her legs, then jumping onto a stable platform that jutted out of the pile. Before it could collapse under her feet she jumped over, somersaulting through the air before landing on the other side...or so Sazh assumed. She disappeared from his sight, Sazh's only guide in the Hanging Edge. She knew how to get out of here, and he wasn't leaving her side until then. He raced to the burning pile and tentatively began to climb. Once he reached the top he looked over, relieved to see she hadn't gone far.

"Hey! Wait up now!" he called, though conscious of the volume of his voice now.

She turned, surprised. Nonetheless, she waited, huddled near another pile of broken parts. He slid down the other side, lifting his arms to avoid them getting caught on shrapnel. Hurrying to her side he snapped, "Fixing to ditch me already, huh? What's the big idea?"

Instead of responding she simply huffed.

What was her problem?

"Don't go ignoring me now! You're my ticket out of here. I'm stickin' this out with you whether you like it or not," he stated, and that was that. He even crossed his arms for emphasis.

His claim was met with a sour look and she rolled her eyes, gesturing slightly ahead of them. In the middle of the platform was one PSICOM Enforcer – or so his right shoulder strips signified – and a red Pantheron. All were enemies regularly seen in Guardian Corps training for Lightning. She knew their weaknesses, and how to exploit them. What her comrades on the field failed to do, she excelled at. One aspect of the battlefield she dominated was the ability to analyze and exploit. The key to winning a battle was not which end had the more power, but which side was smart enough.

That was what she did now.

The PSICOM Enforcer wielded a semi-automatic gun, whose bullets she could block easily with her blade if they fired automatically. The Pantheron, however, was definitely more of a threat, with its razor-sharp claws and electric jaws. Nonetheless, she had beaten them into submission before and she'd do it again. Another portal behind the Enforcer would have to be deactivated, she noted. It wouldn't do for the Enforcer to call backup and another Warmech to burst through it.

"Not wanting to get Purged I get. But taking on trained soldiers?" Sazh whispered.

"Better to die than get sent to Pulse," she replied, her eyes cold. "It's hell without the brimstone."

"Yeah, well hell's not sounding too bad, 'cause this place ain't exactly paradise," he said, gazing around the Hanging Edge. All he could see were flashes of lights and explosions as a battle raged on in the skies.

Suddenly the Enforcer pressed a number of buttons on his wrist and the portal came to life, the center gleaming until two more Pantherons burst from the center, pixelating into 3D forms. At the sight of them Sazh crept closer into the safety of the rubble, peering around her shoulder. Great. Now there were three Pantherons and one guy with a semi-automatic gun.

"Right, and you're telling me we're going to fight them?"The Warmech had seemed impossible, but this?

"Domesticated peacekeepers," she replied, offering insight into her experience of the government's bestiary. "Nothing to worry about."

"Maybe not for Soldier Girl, but – hey!" he said quickly as she jumped out of their hiding place, blade poised and ready to fight.

It turned out they were just like the enemies Lightning had fought during her days as a soldier in the Guardian Corps. They fell quickly and easily, much to Sazh's surprise. He looked at his pistols with renewed interest – maybe he did have some sort of fighting ability after all.

Nah, that's crazy.

They made their way through another wave of PSICOM Enforcers, Wardens, and a particularly nasty Aerial Recon that fired powerful rockets, but all were dispatched in minutes. Every enemy that fell was a result of Lightning's final strike, aided by Sazh's cover fire. He became increasingly interested as to who exactly she was. Her shoulder pauldron signified her as a sergeant, but her skill level said otherwise. Also having experience in the military years ago as an airship pilot, Sazh knew the ranks of the Guardian Corps, and knew that officers and lieutenants matched her type of skillset. Yet her pauldron glowed bright yellow...

He caught up to her as she deactivated another portal. She didn't look his way as he peered at her shoulder, eyes narrowed.

"So you're a sergeant, huh? How'd you find yourself wrapped up in this mess anyways?" he asked, trying to play his cards right.

"I told you, I was a soldier. I'm not anymore."

"Well, yeah, but..."

"My business is my own," she said before moving on.

Sazh sighed and followed her, throwing his hands up in defeat. They could both die and he would never even know why she was there in the first place. The chocobo chirped in agreement from his afro. He sighed and continued on.

"I'll go scout things out," Sazh offered, and jogged ahead.

Lightning waved her hand impatiently and leaned against a box of cargo, crossing her arms. For a second she had a small smirk on her face, but only for a second. She was glad that she had succeeded in stopping the Purge train and halting its route, but there was still the matter of...well...her.She opened the red pack strapped to her thigh, an elegant survival knife in her hand. Absentmindedly she flicked it open and closed with her hand, staring into space.

"Zac, Serah, I'm coming." she whispered, momentarily closing her eyes.

The fact was her boyfriend...Zac...was on the pulse vestige looking for her sister...Serah...was a l'Cie, a human puppet of the Pulse fal'Cie recently uncovered in Bodhum. Just a week earlier the sleeping Pulse fal'Cie hidden inside the archaic Pulse Vestige had awakened and drawn to it was Serah, branded a l'Cie within seconds to guard its deep chambers. Lightning had been on duty that day, but she remembered every detail clearly. Earlier that morning Serah had asked her older sister to take a day off, that maybe they could take a day trip to Eden and poke around the university there for Serah. Lightning had refused, saying work was more important, especially if Serah wanted to getintothat college. Then, she had thought she was doing the right thing by trading in one thing for another – trading in time with Serah in order to help her younger sister achieve a dream she never had the chance to live. Lightning wasn't able to finish college. Her parents died at an early age, something she remembered even now as she stood in the midst of a war. So Serah had become upset and disappeared from the house, though Lightning was sure she was fine and headed off to work like any normal day.

That was the first mistake.

Days later, Serah revealed that on that day she had wandered into the Pulse Vestige, only to be branded a l'Cie, a detested being that was banned from Cocoon. Now she was trapped in the Vestige, which was being transported to the lowerworld of Gran Pulse, a hostile and violent wilderness – or so she thought. Now, she was in a race to enter the Vestige and retrieve Serah.

Legends spoke of awful fates for Pulse l'Cie...words like "crystallization," "Focus," and "monster" floated through her mind, but she didn't know what they meant or how they connected. She knew only one thing that was crystal clear – to save her sister before she was involuntarily taken to Gran Pulse.

The moment Lightning heard of the Vestige being transported and learned Serah was trapped inside, she briefly considering stealing an airship and landing on Pulse to await her arrival. However, her return trip would have been fired down anyways.

The people of Cocoon believed anyone of Pulse origin or touched by Pulsian things were scum. Before everything went to hell, so did Lightning. But this was different.

Lightning didn't care what they thought at the moment; she had a plan, and she knew where she was going. The map she had studied earlier revealed a one-way platform straight to the Vestige, if they lowered it where the map had designated. The military's plans were to transport it to the Hanging Edge and from there, to Pulse. If she survived long enough to reach Serah, than just maybe everything would be all right.

Maybe…

Her thoughts came to a shattering halt at the sound of an alarm, first screeching unbearably and then getting closer and closer. She jumped to her feet and stowed the knife away, sprinting for where Sazh had been "scouting." She immediately spotted him farther down the Trussway with his hands raised in terror. An airship, with smoke billowing out of the tail, was heading straight for the interjection between their platform and the next. The flaming airship collided with an ear-piercing boom, rocking the platforms until even Sazh fell to the ground.

A flash of light filled the area, momentarily blinding Sazh and Lightning. She stumbled through the light as unknown debris whipped past her, sparks flaring everywhere. As the dust cleared, she peered through, eyes widening. Her breath caught in her throat.

The entire next Trussway, 10-E, was split in half. Pipes and stilts fell into the darkness below as the fire died away. The airship had gone completely through, knocking out an entire quarter-mile of the bridge. On the other side, screams pierced the air as rebels fell to their death. Sazh watched as cargo and debris slammed into their bodies, knocking them further and further down the vertical Trussway until they vanished.

Lightning stared in concentration. There went that plan.

Sazh climbed to his feet, coughing hard. "There's no way we can cross here. Do we turn back?"

"There's no time," she snapped, annoyed at the relapse in concentration.

"Then what do you suggest we do? Fly?"

"Quiet!" she snapped, striding cautiously to the very edge of the platform. It was still warm beneath her feet, flames eating away at the edge.

Her mind reeled, but there was still one thing shecoulddo...She'd never tested how long the Grav-con Unit lasted, but if anytime was to try it out, now was. Nothing was stopping her from getting to the other side, reluctant companion with her or not.

She raised her left hand and for the second time that day, snapped her fingers, triggering the anti-gravity wave that pulsed over her body. Immediately her body lifted into the air and she began to float, defying gravity completely. She pushed off the platform and rose into the air.

"Hey..." he raced forward and hurtled towards her, nearly tackling her in his effort not to get left behind. He reached around her waist and tried to hang on, hoping the strange gravity device she had triggered would bring him along, too.

The sudden addition of weight brought her closer to the ground as the Unit strained. It had been especially programmed for her weight, no more. She angered, not only because he was halting her progress, but because he could potentially break the Grav-con Unit, something that couldn't be fixed now. She elbowed him in the stomach and gained leadway but he jumped up, maintaining his hold around her waist.

"Wait!No, no, don't leave me!"

She planted a hand on his face and tried to shove him off of her, to no avail. He was just too heavy! "Let go!" she commanded, about ready to punch him.

"Hell no! You're my only way outta here!" he shouted, frantic now.

Her feet touched the ground, and that was it. She turned to him in anger and raised her knee, striking him in the gut and fisting his head away from her. He fell to the ground in a heap, massaging his head and moaning aloud. Her fingers curled into a fist but she tried the Grav-con Unit again while he was down, snapping her fingers three times. Each snap emitted a weak spark, but it was out of juice.

"Tch." She looked around, desperate. There had to be another way across...

"Hey..." Sazh said, spotting something to their right through blurry vision. The side of his face stung from her strike. She hadn't hit him hard, but he was certainly mindful of personal space now. "That might get us across! Right there!" He pointed to a huge bridge being transported on an airship. It was a substitute for the broken Trussway.

She glanced quickly at it. There didn't seem to be anyone on it...which meant the transportable Trussway could be directed by anyone. She looked up at the Vestige's entrance, the panels of the rock ceiling slowly beginning to open. That meant the Vestige had yet to be dropped onto Pulse. There was still hope yet.

"Right?" Sazh said, trying to make up for the blunder earlier. His face stung like a million needles had punctured his cheek and his stomach was bruised.

"Looks that way," she said, casting an irritated look before striding off to meet the bridge halfway.

They backtracked to a set of metal stairs that led to a platform set just a few feet above the Trussway surface. From there they used a mobile platform to arrive on the bridge. As Lightning jumped off easily, she couldn't help but notice the Pulsian Vestige had lowered again. Shaking her head she set off to confront their next obstacle.

"Eh..." Sazh mumbled, peering over the edge at the bottomless pit. "I don't like heights..."

Lightning scoffed, but her eyes soon spotted trouble. Near the center of the airborne bridge and stationed around a glowing control panel was a group of PSICOM officers gathered around a particularly large officer. Thankfully they hadn't been seen yet...but that could change any second. Lightning's hand inched for the handle of her gunblade as she bent over; however, the tallest of the bunch – a PSICOM Marauder – turned at the exact moment Sazh opened his mouth. Lightning froze as Sazh's words reached her ears.

"Are you s–"

"Quiet!"she silenced, straightening once it was evident the officers had spotted the two. She ground her teeth and mentally facepalmed, wishing she could just throw Sazh over the edge now.

Sazh looked up, realizing three PSICOM officers were headed their way. His eyes grew wide as he stepped back, lifting his guns in front of him. Lightning's gun was out in a second as the Marauder stepped forward, his mechanical suit giving him an extra foot. As he slowly stalked towards him, Lightning could barely catch a glance at his eyes staring at her through the slit in his mask, his spiked collar making his demeanor all the more menacing. He brandished a spiked lance at his side with a long reach.

Her eyes narrowed. That meant hand-to-hand combat was out of the question...

"Deportees, are we?" the Marauder drawled, his voice emitting as a mechanical scratch.

Lightning glanced over to Sazh, who was visibly shaking at this point. "Can't you pull some strings or somethin'?" he whispered.

She rolled her eyes and set her jaw, lowering her gun.

I can do this.

Instead, she used her left hand to salute the Marauder, holding her arm rigid as she touched her shoulder with the side of her hand. The gesture was universal for all soldiers in the military, and she hoped it was convincing now.

"No, sir. He's a deportee, however. I've been asked to escort him to a safer location to await further instruction from my superiors. Sir." Her voice was calm, cool, and collected.

The Marauder slowed and the suspicious hunch in his shoulders vanished. Then he noticed the gently pulsing yellow pauldron. Immediately his suspicions shot up again, and he looked back at his own PSICOM Enforcers that flanked his sides. "What's a GC doing here? Only PSICOM divisions are allowed down here. Who give you the authorization?" he demanded.

For a split second Lightning panicked. Thankfully an overhead explosion distracted the group for a mere five seconds, but it was enough.

She forced a chuckled and waved a hand, gesturing all around them at the war-torn skies. "Look around us. They needed backup and I'm well-experienced, sir."

"Right..." he gestured quickly to the two Enforcers at his side. "I think I'll escort you back myself, just for precautionary measures. I'm sure your superiors will understand," the Marauder finally said, turning and leading them back to the center.

Sazh threw a look of amazement at Lightning, thanking his lucky stars that least one of them knew what they were doing. He holstered his guns, but she shook her head, casting a look at the back of the PSICOM soldiers' heads. As they walked Lightning had silently transformed her blade into a gun, gripping it firmly. She made a point of stepping hard to make the soles of her heels click louder in order to create the illusion that they were following directly behind the group. The Marauder was giving instructions as Lightning lifted her gun, aiming for the soldier flanking the Marauder's left.

She nodded to Sazh, who took aim on the other one, pushing thoughts away of the fact that thesewereindeed human beings, just like him. Just one squeeze, and it would be over...

"Now!"

They fired simultaneously, their bullets traveling faster than the speed of sound. The Enforcers didn't even know what hit them as the force of the bullets sent them forward, dead in a second. The Marauder whirled and upon seeing his fallen comrades raised his lance and rocketed for them.

"So youaredeportees! Weapons down! I'd hate for this to turn ugly!" he snarled.

Sazh scratched his head. "Uh...'turn ugly'? I'm guessing that's not good..."

"He wants to kill us without a fight," she answered, brandishing her own weapon.

"Definitelynot–"

"Watch out!"

Lightning's eyes widened and she barely had enough time to slide in between his legs before he strung her head like a shish-kabob, his speed incredible by the enhanced suit he wore.

"Sazh!" she commanded, flicking her wrist.

He fired away, doing his nervous jig that Lightning could never understand. Nonetheless she leapt into battle and beat away at the Marauder, feigning and dodging his lethal strikes. He nicked her waist with the tip, slightly tearing a thread, but the outcome of the battle turned into the rebels' favor as the Marauder slowly became overwhelmed. As he turned to raise his lance Lightning took her chance and dove forward, thrusting the point of her gunblade forward and into the soldier. The lance fell from his hands and the light in his eyes faded. She removed her blade and stood, wiping a bead of concentrated sweat from her forehead.

Dead soldiers littered the floor of the skybridge as it slowly made its way to the next Trussway. Lightning stepped over their bodies, ignoring them until she found the control panel. Sazh made his way over, blowing out a puff of hair. From within his brown hair the chocobo chick chirped happily, completely unaware that any stray bullet that made its way into Sazh's afro could have ended its life instantly.

"That was a five-star right there!" he said, relieved. He watched her work and looked back at the fallen Marauder. "How'd you think of that, anyway?"

She ignored him.

After a few awkward moments of silence he tried again. "So, Soldier...what's your angle? What're you doin' running around in the Purge?"

Her eyes didn't even look up as she continued to examine the panel.

Sazh raised a finger sarcastically. "What, is it classified military info? Hmm? What's it matter now? You quit, didn't you? Why else would you be here, unless you're on a suicide mission...You think I'm gonna go out and tell everybody your secret? The world is endin' out–"

"The Pulse fal'Cie."

Sazh froze, his mind slowly trying to make out what she really said. Did she actually...?

She looked at him, her eyes cold. Yet he could also sense determination...he just didn't knowwhyshe was there,whyshe could do so much normal soldiers couldn't,whyshe had stopped the Purge train...

"My 'angle.' I'm after the fal'Cie," she replied calmly.

"That's...crazy..." he breathed, straining through the darkness to catch a glimpse of the Vestige as it was being lowered into the Hanging Edge.

"Still happy you tagged along?" she asked sarcastically, and gripped a lever, guiding it through multiple notches until the panel gleamed orange. Immediately, the two end bridges collapsed to fold under the skybridge as boosters roared to life below.

They were moving.

She pushed past him and strode to the end of the skybridge, leaving him to this new revelation. Sazh's mind reeled. Out of all the people...after everything that had happened, he was brought with another woman with the same goal as him.

He looked down at his hands. Just a few days ago he had cradled his son in those very same arms...

"I didn't have a choice."

 **(AN: here is a link to the soundtrack of this story: https/open./user/126518619/playlist/4lRptURlkJTd8EJuj8akL6?context=spotify%3Auser%3A126518619%3Aplaylist%3A4lRptURlkJTd8EJuj8akL6)**


	2. The Hanging Edge: Another Rebellion

The Hanging Edge, while a large open space dotted with airships, was nothing but a maze of train rails and platforms, both mobile and stationary. At this point the Purge train had been fully stopped and another rebellion was about to take place under the black skies of the Hanging Edge. Fire exploded every other few seconds as Cocoon's citizens fought back.

From every government-controlled airship boomed an intercom that swept throughout the Hanging Edge as the source of the voice came into hearing range on the Aerorail Trussway 5-W. It was a voice that anyone who watched daily politics and had a general knowing of who ruled their own country would know. The voice was also the source of the chaos that ensued below.

"One behalf of Cocoon's citizens...I would like to thank our brave Pulse pioneers and express our best wishes for a successful relocation..."

If the Hanging Edge had been dead silent that very moment, thousands of boos and cries of outrage could be heard. Instead, they were drowned out by gunfire.

"Your noble and selfless sacrifice..."

Running to avoid gunfire, a group of rebels wielding guns definitely heard the words of Cocoon's one-and-only Primarch, Galenth Dysley. Two lead the pack – a brute dark-skinned, fiery man dressed in a blue vest and white shorts threw orders around as he led a group of rebels down the straightaway. Another, a petite raven-haired woman donned in a lavender shirt with puffed shoulders, aimed her gun to the sky. A flare erupted from the end, exploding into a white flash. Amidst the darkness it was a beacon of light.

"...ensures the continued safety and peace of our society. Were it not for this remarkable gestue..."

Bullets unloaded from the rebels' guns, aiming straight for a horde of PSICOM officers ahead. The man scoffed, but focused again nonetheless.

"...every resident of Cocoon...your family, your friends, your neighbors...would be exposed to the dangers of the world below. By choosing to leave Cocoon and participating in this migration–"

One radio, transported from PSICOM to offer updates on the war going on around them, ceased to transmit the Primarch's lies as a heavily booted foot came crashing down, smashing the top down and cutting off what the man knew anyway.

Baggy, black pants and a light blue undershirt were accented by a brown trench coat. His face stared down at the radio in disgust, blonde hair falling in his face despite the black bandana tied around his forehead. He made a fist and threw it down, frustrated. A voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

"'Migration'? More like 'extermination–"

He turned to confront the rebel. "Yuj."

"...and he tells...what, Snow?"

"You stay here," the so-called Snow commanded, his eyes staring ahead.

Yuj, dressed in the bright colors of Bodhum and topped with a head of electric-blue hair, blanched. "S-sorry...I didn't mean to–"

Snow cut him off, shaking his head with a smile. "These people need heroes, Yuj. Someone to lead them."

The boy grimaced, knowing full well that his skill on the battlefield left more to be desired. Seeing his embarrassment, Snow lifted his gun up, pushing it across his chest. Yuj glanced up in surprise.

"Here. You keep your cool, and they will too," Snow said, nodding towards a huddle of Purge survivors. Yuj nodded.

"You got it?"

"Got it," he replied, giving a hesitant smirk. This place was too dangerous for comforts, but leading a group of deportees...that was something he could handle.

Snow turned, but stopped. He looked over his shoulder, smiling. "What's our motto?" he suddenly called, hoping to catch the kid off guard.

Meeting him square for square Yuj hefted the gun and straightened. "The army's no match for NORA!" he exclaimed.

"Attaboy." Snow gave a crooked smile and a thumbs up. "Been practicing with Maqui again?"

"Yeah...hey, you leaving, man?" Yuj said as Snow turned to climb a pile of debris. Since his two other friends and comrades-in-arms had left, an explosion had caused part of the bridge to break off from above and landing directly in their path. Through the maze of flaming rocks and debris was the rebellion Snow intended to join.

"Yeah. Gonna go do cleanup."

"Don't do anything stupid!" Yuj called, before Snow disappeared over the side.

Yuj lowered his gun, blowing out a puff of air. "Idiot."

Suddenly a voice called from the other side.

"I heard that!"

The teenager snickered and turned away, examining his hair one more time before consulting a group of frightened survivors.

Snow was on his own.

At the base of the debris pile, stragglers lagged behind, walking aimlessly. Concerned, Snow went from person to person, giving them advice. We have a group of survivors over there, he told them. Sit tight and this'll be all over.

The tall man wished he had someone to tellhimthat.

One woman, still donned in her Purge uniform, scampered over to Snow, her eyes wide and frightened. She had blood dotted across her face. She gripped his arm tightly and pleaded.

"Please, please help me! My home, my husband...they took everything from me! T-They took me away from my baby!" she cried, hysterical. "P-Please…"

Snow patted her shoulder and pointed to where he came from. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but I can't help you right now. I'm headed to the Resistance Front. But you can head over there; ask for Yuj and he'll help you, all right? It's going to be okay, really," he reassured.

She released his arm and walked off in a daze, still crying softly. He watched her go, his face hardening. What had happened to Cocoon? Didn't the government have any damn integrity? Were they really going to send innocent people – mothers and fathers with families to take care of – to a lowerworld, just to die?

"Hey, you coming or not? Hurry up!"

Snow turned to find his childhood friend, Lebreau, waving at him from her station behind a grate. Ahead was Gadot, who looked more like a boxer than your average Bodhum beach bum. Snow spotted Maqui – the youngest in their group of rebels – huddled behind a huge block. He and Gadot were arguing, the latter's flaming red hair a target for PSICOM marksmen.

"Aw, this is crazy!" Maqui complained, afraid to even stick a finger over the top of the metal.

Gadot, fearless as always, snorted. "Then take a nap. You ain't doing anything now, anyway."

The blonde scurried to his knees, relieved. "Are you serious? Can I?"

"Sure! And when we're takin' adirtnap, you go right on ahead and save 'em all! How's that sound?"

Maqui laid back down, exasperated. "Ugh...that's even worse."

Snow quickly darted for the grate, hauling Maqui back to his knees and making his presence known.

"No dirt naps today, Maqui. We're all in this together, you hear me?" he said, giving the boy an expectant fist.

Maqui quickly nodded.

"Our enemy's the Cocoon Sanctum. Their dreaded PSICOM, no less."

Lebreau scoffed, flipping her hair out and adjusting her hold on her own semi-automatic. "What's to dread? PSICOM's been nothing but a bunch of bluster and bullying since the Primarch took the seat. They've got nothing on NORA."

"Well, we are the heroes after all. Who else is going to clean up after PSICOM's mess?" Gadot remarked, nailing an officer in the head. He whooped. "Headshot!"

Snow jumped to his feet. "Then let's prove it!"

The ring leaders of NORA moved forward together.

Overhead, Snow couldn't help but notice the Vestige was a quarter of the way out, tethered to airships as it was slowly lowered into the warzone. As he charged into battle, one thought lingered on his mind.

Hold on...Serah.

He was snapped out of his reverie when his stomach suddenly tightened. He looked down, surprised to see a PSICOM officer retracting from his attack. Nonetheless, Snow merely laughed and jumped forward, counter-attacking with a punch to the stomach as well. The hit knocked the officer's air right out of his lungs, sending him flying backwards. Snow raised his fists, immersing himself in battle as Gadot and Lebreau flanked him. Maqui provided cover fire from behind.

"Hah! And you tellusnot to take a nap!" Gadot scoffed, gunning down an Enforcer.

"What's gotten into you,hero?" Lebreau teased, taking a careful shot.

One more soldier to go, and the Trussway would be cleared for another half-mile. Snow smiled and beat the daylights out of another soldier, doing his best to avoid their quick lashes with batons. "Hey, I'm the leader here! Why's everyone picking on me all of a sudden?"

A sudden explosion up ahead rocked the bridge, vibrating the platform beneath their feet. Snow bent down to regain his balance, straining to see ahead. From the dust clouds a creature swept out, clearly the source of the attack.

"Was the bridge knocked out?" Lebreau called. Snow had climbed a pile of debris to see above the chaos.

He slid back down, troubled. "No, just a fly-by attack. But we've got our work cut out for us. Ready?"

Maqui groaned, but was silenced with a quick smack to the head by Lebreau.

"Ready!"

They fought through wave upon wave soldiers. Several were airborne as rotators held them aloft, their rocket-propelled grenades difficult to maneuver around. Enforcers lurked everywhere and their batons were bluntly powerful when they did get the chance to land a hit. As Snow delivered one last punch to knock out a PSICOM elite, Maqui fell to his knees.

"No...more!" he moaned, physically exhausted.

Lebreau sighed. "There are soldiers everywhere."

"Yo boss," Gadot drawled, bored. Hell, he could be in a world war for two days straight and never tire. "What's the plan? We can't sit here huddled up forever."

"Charge in, guns blazin'. What else?"

"What?! That's not a plan! That's a suicide mission!" Maqui pointed out.

Snow looked back, surprised. "It's what we've been doing for awhile now. Besides, do you have anything better?"

"Uh..." he raised a finger, then let it fall. "No."

"Okay then."

"Real heroes don't need plans."

Suddenly Maqui jumped to his feet. "Hey, the survivors! They're there!"

Snow looked around the debris, fearing his head was about to be splattered across the platform and found himself pleasantly surprised to find that no other soldiers lay in wait before a group of survivors in Purge uniforms. He stood and quickly walked forward, gesturing for Maqui to pick up guns from fallen soldiers. Snow straightened and led the charge. These people needed heroes, right?

They needed to be convinced that they would be all right, that they wouldn't be forced to leave their paradise.

Well, paradise turned hell...

As Snow neared the various men and women huddled together, he wasn't so sure a confidence boost was going to help their morale. Nonetheless, he spoke.

"You all okay?" he asked, addressing the numerous people whose hoods were downcast. Their body language simply screamed that they had already given up.

"Hey, Snow, I got the–" Maqui tripped over the completely flat surface, falling to the ground as semi-automatic guns – with the safety off no doubt – clattered everywhere. He scrambled to gather them again, flashing an apologetic smile at Snow. The fist-fighter rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Be careful with those or you'll end up shooting your toe off."

"Heh...sorry."

The deportees glanced between the two and turned their heads down. They weren't impressed by their "heroes."

"Don't worry. No one's moving to Pulse today. We'll clear you a path out of here to somewhere safe, so be ready to–"

Several men stepped forward, their faces a mask of determination and anger. No doubt they had heard the Primarch's message to the Purge deportees.

"Wait, let me fight with you! I know it's not much, but I want to help!"

"Yes, please! Let us do something...anything!"

"Yeah, you can't expect us to just sit here!"

Snow raised a hand in silence and turned to Gadot, shrugging his shoulders. "Theycouldhelp," he admitted reluctantly.

"Hmph. Maybe. At this point we just need all the help we can get."

"Please! Let us help!"

Another explosion went off on a Trussway located across a stretch of absolute darkness. The noise was muffled by the thousands of airships and creatures that flew in between, but the survivors heard it nonetheless. They cried out in fright.

"Still want to help?" Gadot called.

They nodded and began to stand. "Okay then. Volunteers front and center. We've got work to do. Grab a gun from Maqui."

The survivors-turned-rebels scooped up guns, pointing away from the crowd to test them. Several looked frightened at the sight of a gun in their hands, but Snow could only hope friendly fire wouldn't be the cause of any deaths. One particular volunteer stepped forward, a woman donned in casual white. A voice called out from behind her, soft and frightened.

"Mom? What are you doing...?"

"Don't worry. I'll be back," she answered, smiling softly.

Snow watched as a new volunteer stepped forward. He looked down to find her striding on high heels. He quirked an eyebrow.

"You sure about this?" he asked.

"Yeah," she assured, holding her gun tightly across her chest. "Moms are tough."

She strode to the group of rebels behind Snow without another word. He turned to Gadot, taking one more black gun in his hand. The metal felt cool to the touch.

"It's the last one, boss."

"Right."

He held the gun out to the group, the handle pointing directly to a smaller figure. "All right...this is the last one. Somebody take it. We need all the help we can get if this is going to work."

A voice emitted from under the hood, but it was scared, juvenile. "N-No...I can't..."

Snow raised an eyebrow but before he could say anything a girl had reached her arms out, as if asking for a hug.

"Here!" the girl offered, her face bright and cheery. Snow noted a strong accent in her voice but said nothing. Reluctantly he handed the gun to her, afraid that he was about to die at the hands of an inexperienced teenage girl.

She examined the gun and peered at the trigger, turning it over until she figured out where the bullet exited. She hefted it and looked back to him, smiling. It was moments like these that Snow appreciated optimism the most...a war was being waged all around them, yet someone like her, even as young as she seemed to be, was willing to keep a positive look.

"When push comes to shove, keep 'em safe, all right?" said Snow.

"Bam!"she chirped, and kicked the gun back as if she were firing.

First impression of Snow?

All talk.

She lowered the gun expectedly, laughing. Taking his cue, Snow pretended to double over in pain, wincing. However, there was still a group of people that needed to survive. And they needed a leader by the looks of it.

"Okay. Lay low and you'll be fine. Don't go out in the openat all. We'll clear out the area and then head back to our rendezvous," Snow announced, laying out the plan.

Faces of dread looked up at him.

Snow pumped a fist in the air and raised his voice. "We're going home together!"

His intention to rally the group failed. Lebreau stepped in, exasperated. "Come on! Everyone up!"

Gadot gathered his group. "New recruits – on me! Let's go kick some ass!"

The woman from earlier strayed behind, her footsteps lingering. Snow jogged after Gadot and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Come on."

She nodded, smiling apologetically. "Right."

Leaving the man to catch up, she slowed, her hands gripping the gun tightly as she cast one last look backwards. Her son was being towed away by the raven-haired woman as they began to retreat into a safer location. She nodded one last time, smiling. She wanted him to feel safe, proud of her for volunteering, but he was just a kid...was leaving him the best option?

For the people of Cocoon, she decided against going back, steeling herself for what lay ahead.

Before he could turn around again she was gone.

The group dove their way further into the chaos, spraying bullets into hundreds of soldiers as they cut a path through the Trussway. By now PSICOM had issued a special caravan of elites to show up, furthering the unbalance as more government officers were transported to the spot to stop the rebellion immediately. Snow's group took a stand, driving back the officers with fierce determination. Everywhere he looked, the citizens of Cocoon were fighting back.

The officers suddenly drew their weapons up and sprinted backwards. On first thought it seemed as though they were retreating, until an enormous battleship appeared in the air, hovering over the platform. Gun turrets lining the side suddenly flashed and a spray of bullets pierced their location. Three men were dead in an instant, their bodies pierced with holes. Snow grit his teeth and led the woman – her name was Nora, he had learned – behind a grate.

Gadot waved an arm. "Snow! We got trouble!"

He waved his hand to signify he heard. "No kidding," he breathed, peering quickly around until he spotted what he needed. A rocket launcher lay in the open of the platform as PSICOM fell back, unguarded. However, bullets from the airhsip's turrets still provided a lethal opponent.

"Stay down!" he told Nora.

"What are you doing? You can't run out there!"

"I have to try." With that, he had leapt from his hiding place and sprinted out into the opening, ducking under the curtain of bullets that followed in his wake. One more step...he leaped into the air and intending to land just above the weapon. Instead, he had timed his jump wrong and he sailed over it, tumbling into a fetal position. He reached out, straining to grab it, but the airship had locked on to him. Its main cannon opened up, deep orange flowing inside. Snow closed his eyes and braced himself.

Suddenly a rocket flew over head, soaring through the air and hitting the airship in the cannon. The impact sent it off course and the charging cannon faltered. Snow looked up, his heart pounding wildly.

Nora.

"I told you didn't I?" she said, offering a hand. "Moms are tough."

He shook his head, but took her hand anyway, climbing to his feet. They were alive.

And then the airship fired the main cannon. It erupted from the decaying machine as it fell into the abyss, taking one last shot at the rebels. The impact lurched the entire bridge forward as the end dipped down, bowing under the weight as the support stilts were extinguished. Nora fell forward, along with Snow.

From afar, the same two Purge survivors, safely aboard Team NORA's skybridge, watched the catastrophe unfold. The accented girl noticed the boy shaking; she followed the gaze of his eyes to see two figures sliding uncontrollably down the broken Trussway.

The boy stared in shock.

This...can't be happening...mom!

Snow felt a shallow heartbeat faintly beating against his own chest as he regained consciousness. Through blurry vision he could make out a collage of bright lights: green, blue, and sparks of orange. Sitting up, he only fully realized what he was seeing.

The entire bridge connecting the two Trussways had been demolished as the end plunged into the abyss, a near vertical level. All around him people collided into the darkness, being propelled by debris and even other people's dead bodies. In his arms was Nora, her body lifeless and unsettlingly cold. Using the last remnants of his strength, Snow scooted backwards, towing Nora across the scorched surface. Others weren't so lucky. They couldn't find any support, and continued to fall.

One slid to a stop near his feet. Still dazed, Snow could only reach out, but his mind was in a fog. His ears rang from the explosion.

It was a woman. Her eyes – frozen in fear – stared up into his. She reached out, choking over her own words as her hands trembled violently. "P-Please...help me..." She began to sob. "I don't – watch out!" She screamed.

Snow turned just in time to see the Trussway snap again, weakening as fire licked the Aerorail from the explosion. Throwing Nora to the side he crawled out of the way. The tremor sent the girl away, her frightened eyes still frozen. A second later and she was gone. However, Snow lost his footing and both he and Nora slid further down. He grit his teeth and tried to grab her hand, but she was deadweight.

Both were sent over the edge.

At the very edge of the Trussway Snow hung, suspended in mid-air and desperately hanging on to both Nora and the Trussway. PSICOM soldiers and regular civilians died all around him. For a moment, Snow looked around him as each terrified face passed him; an immense pain hit his stomach.

There was nothing he could do.

Nothing.

Suddenly he felt a small tug in his hand. Jerking his head down, he heard the faint breaths of Nora. Her grey eyes bore into his, though they still held the kind glint despite their situation. Her face was perfectly smooth; no wrinkles of stress.

"Get him home...please..." she pleaded, loosening her grip.

"No...just hold on! We'll get out of this!" he said frantically, his muscles screaming in protest. His arm felt like it was being incinerated from the inside. The flames at the edge of the Trussway licked his hand, beginning to eat away at his hand.

Her head dropped and Snow felt her entire body sag, her hand slipping once again.

"Don't let–"

She fell, her hand still extended upwards and her hair fanning out around her. Yet her eyes were closed in peace.

Snow stared down at his hand, disbelieving. A sudden tremor from his arm distracted him, and then the entire Trussway broke off, the stilts collapsing as its enormous weight fell, along with Snow.

Darkness lay below.

The boy's shoulders heaved up and down in time to the beating of his heart.

Grey-green eyes simply stared.

What else was there do?

What could you say when the last person you loved died before your eyes?

If you were powerless to stop it?

He suddenly felt two gentle hands on his shoulders, slowly pushing him away from the edge of the bridge. A pair of green eyes came into view around the deep curve of the uniform's hood. It was her again.

"Come on!" she commanded gently, tugging on his hand. Her voice was soft and heavily accented. He hardly noticed.

Suddenly she stopped and whirled him around harshly. His eyes slowly took her into focus, but her green orbs were determined as she raised a hand, striking him across the face.

"We have to move! It's dangerous out here!" she told him earnestly.

He nodded slowly. "All right, sorry..."

He cast a long look backwards before following her.


	3. The Hanging Edge: The Fal'Cie Awaits

Sazh's eyes peered over the edge of the Skybridge, scanning the endless horizon as warships collided; explosions peppered the sky like a violent display of fireworks. Only these were fatal, and most certainly not for entertainment. His grip on a support wire tightened.

"It's an out-and-out massacre out there. Those people won't even live long enough to die on Pulse. The Purge was just a set-up, and then this follows?" he said, angry.

"You're right. That was the idea."

Lightning came to his side, her cold eyes staring straight ahead.

"What do you mean, 'idea'?"

"Sanctum logic. They conjured up the Purge to eliminate a thread; to cover up their mistake. I mean – why carry the danger all the way to Pulse? What does that accomplish? Why not just stamp it out here – where no one will witness anything?" said Lightning. Sazh shook his head in disbelief, clenching his teeth angrily. "Execution masquerading as exile. That's all the Purge ever was; all Dysley ever intended it to be."

She was of course, referring to Cocoon's Primarch. Sazh remembered his foul words from earlier as he addressed the "pioneers" of Pulse. "How did we get here anyway?" he wondered.

She didn't say anything.

Sazh threw up his hands, growing more irritated by the second. "'Relocation to Pulse.' How does the government get away with pullin' crap like that?!"

He suddenly turned to her, a thought ringing in his head. So far, she was an enigma, but her icy responses and startling knowledge of their surroundings couldn't be a coincidence or a result of a devoted soldier.

"And you – you knew this was gonna happen?"

She shook her head, glancing at him. The Skybridge moved ever so slowly towards the Pulsian artifact. "The Purge was PSICOM's deal. Private Sanctum troops, not the Guardian Corps."

Sazh sighed. "PSICOM...Guardian Corps...soldiers are soldiers, aren't they? They're supposed to protect us, not send us to an early death!" He said haughtily, gesturing towards the Pulse Vestige. It was close to being lowered from the ceiling. "Pulse fal'Cie and their l'Cie are enemies of the state, no matter what."

He pointed towards one of the fallen PSICOM soldiers from earlier. "Tell a soldier to kill an enemy and you really think it's going to matter what uniform they're wearing? You killed all of the PSICOM soldiers we've seen so far...how is that different to a PSICOM soldier killing off innocent civilians?"

She turned and strode to the control panel, hardly giving the fallen soldier a glance. "Might have mattered to that one. He couldn't shoot...got himself shot instead."

"That's not what I asked. Orders say shoot, so you pull the trigger?" he asked as she toyed with the panels, directing the Skybridge on a linear path to the Vestige's base.

He didn't wait for an answer before turning away in disgust. "Fine! Forget I asked!"

Before Sazh could dwell on this newfound revelation any longer, an alarm went off above them, originating from the Pulse Vestige as the panels in the ceiling opened fully, revealing the top of the Vestige. Both he and Lightning looked up, straining to see the top of the massive structure.

"That's not...the Vestige, is it?" he asked, gaping at its foreign design. She nodded. "Just what you were looking for then."

"Yeah. Right in there."

"The Pulse fal'Cie, huh?"

"Wait..." she said, holding out a hand and perking her ears.

An intercom from the ceiling of their Skybridge crackled to life:

"Attention Purge deportees! Attention Purge deportees!"

Airships the size of Bodhum advanced upon the Vestige, launching massive anchors into the side of the structure and tightening as the Vestige's enormous weight pulled them slightly down. Curls of blue energy erupted from the boosters of the airships as they strained to hold it up.

"Put down your weapons and surrender immediately! Your removal is the will of Cocoon!"

"At least they're not sugar-coating it anymore," Sazh pointed out.

Lightning nodded, putting a hand on her hip.

"Should you attempt to flee, the Sanctum will employ every resource necessary to bring you to justice..."

"Are they kidding? Bringusto justice?"

"This land is no longer your home. Cease hostilities and surrender at once."

This time Lightning stepped forward, raising her voice. "This is our home as long as we have the will to fight for it. I intend to do just that."

Sazh looked to her in approval. "What she said!"

Underneath the wreckage of the fallen Trussway, Snow climbed to his feet, grimacing in pain at the new ache in his back where he had landed. His left glove was charred by the fire where he had hung so desperately minutes before. He leaned against the debris beneath him for support, straining his eyes to catch a glimpse of the Vestige as it was fully lowered into the Hanging Edge. War seemed to cease as all attention was diverted to the enormous structure.

Around him lay bodies of the dead, but Snow only had one focus:

"Serah..."

Floating aimlessly through the Hanging Edge and bearing a band of refugees was the only safe Skybridge in the entire district. Snow's Team NORA had rounded up a good number of survivors; all gathered together as they said their last prayers. As the last words of the intercom played out, most cast their eyes to the ground, believing their lives were already over.

The boy victim to watching his mother's death cast off his Purge uniform, still shaken. Underneath he wore the simply clothes of Palumpolum, the shopping district of Cocoon. Beneath two layers of an orange and yellow jacket was a black undershirt accented by a blue handkerchief – more styled as a scarf – tied around his hands were covered by a thin leathery glove and he wore the lightly-padded shoes of the teenage norm of Cocoon and dark green khaki shorts. He looked down, glad to be rid of the uniform's restraints but looked aside to catch the words of a mother as she bent over to her little one, cradling her face in the palm of her hand.

"Mom...are we going to die?" the child whimpered.

"No, no, sweetie...we'll be fine, you'll see. We'll be okay," she comforted.

A pang in his stomach reminded him that he would never have another one of those conversations again. He tore his eyes away to find the girl from earlier standing in front of him, donned in the most peculiar clothes he had ever seen.

She wore a thin pink piece that revealed her midriff and laced with colorful beads of blues, reds, greens, and whites. A train of them ran down the middle of her figure, around her waist, and around her neck along with three leather necklaces. She wore a short orange skirt tucked under her waistband and lined with fur pockets. He noticed she had a brown fur attached to the back of her skirt and his curiosity notched up a bit. She adjusted her dark red pigtails and looked up to find him examining her odd clothes. Her bright green eyes sparkled, giving him a reassuring smile.

She looked down at her feet and bent over, hefting the gun she had been given earlier. As she did he noticed her heeled ankle boots were lined with white fur, too.

However, his thoughts were interrupted as she pushed the gun into his hands with a bright "Here! Take it!"

"I don't know if I–"

His words were cut off as she suddenly stepped forward and squeezed him gently around the shoulders, patting him on the back. It was a motherly gesture, something that only made him remember the events of before even more clearly now.

"It's too much, isn't it?" she guessed, the bangles on her wrists jingling together quietly. She stepped back. "If it is, face it later."

The side of his mouth twitched as he tried to find the right words. She raised her hands before he could and bent the quickly, smiling.

"Ciao!" she chirped, before galloping off.

He hesitated for only a second more before chasing after her yelling, "Hey! Wait!"

 _You said it made you happy when I smiled, didn't you?_

 _But really, I was afraid._

 _I was always afraid._

blue eyes pierced through the darkness of the Hanging Edge, accompanied by a long stride as Lightning walked quickly to the very edge of the Skybridge, kneeling down. Hundreds of feet below was another Trussway that led directly to the base of the Vestige as it was suspended in mid-air. She guessed they were having difficulties holding it up despite the advanced technology.

However, if Sazh hadn't broken...

"So, how do you figure the Pulse fal'Cie is different from the Sanctum's?" When he received no response he continued on, speaking only to his chocobo chick. "All things bein' equal, I'd just as soon keep wondering."

The chocobo chick chirped in agreement and pecked at his wings, his beady eyes staring up at Sazh. The latter smiled. In his peripheral vision he noticed Lightning at his side.

"Time to jump."

He looked over in confusion, but she was already gone.

She sprinted to the edge, pumping her arms hard until she reached the edge.

"H-Hey!" Sazh yelled, running after her. She was leaving him again! "Hang on!"

She planted her feet firmly on the edge and leaped, straightening her arms to her sides and diving over the edge. Sazh stared after her in shock, watching her figure quickly become a small dot in his vision as she neared the Trussway hundreds of feet beneath the Skybridge.

"What the–?Hey!"

Below, Lightning ignored his calls, focusing on the fast-approaching solid platform. This required perfect timing if she didn't want to end up a smear on the Trussway. Forty feet above the Trussway and she snapped her Grav-con Unit to life, feeling the satisfying spark of energy race through her body once again. Normally the action would have triggered an immediate stop in motion and a rise into the air, but her immense speed and momentum completely crushed those rules. Using her weightlessness to her advantage, Lightning flipped forward to fall feet-first, landing on the platform and causing a tremor from the sheer force. The Unit sent out a shockwave as she straightened.

The impact left a small bubble of gravity under her feet, perfect for secondary use. She stepped aside and looked up, barely able to make out Sazh's afro over the edge of the Skybridge above.

He himself was impressed. "Damn."

He threw the chocobo chick in the air, waiting for it to regain its position in his hair and lowered himself over the edge. "If she can do it, so can –whoa!"

He slid off the edge, tumbling through air without a sense of whether he was about to fall forever until he hit the icy waters of Lake Bresha or break every bone in his body by landing just an inch outside of her mechanism's wave.

Lightning cast a glance upwards to make sure he was heading her way before turning and jogging, leaving the energy wave behind to absorb his landing as well. Just an inch above the platform was Sazh's nose.

As the energy bubble faded he got to his feet, shaking off the last bits of the adrenaline rush he had gotten from that. As he hurried after Lightning he couldn't help but cast a glance upwards.

The Pulse fal'Cie lay waiting.

Aerorail Trussway 3-N

Among the ruins and flaming debris, two people were alive.

Bearing the weight of two, Snow had climbed to higher ground after finding Gadot buried beneath a pile of burnt debris. He dragged him up another Trussway, laying his friend down. He shook him hard, then slapped him hard.

"Come on!" he said desperately, ready to punch something in frustration.

Gadot awoke instantly, grunting in surprise. Suddenly he grit his teeth, holding his arm and wincing. When he drew away his hand blood was smeared over it. Nonetheless, he stood and looked around, shocked. Bodies lay everywhere. Some were bent in odd angles after being crushed when the Trussway collapsed. Others simply lay limp, bodies dotted by bullet holes. He shook his head hard and turned to Snow, who had his back turned.

"What about the others? What happened to them?" Gadot asked.

Snow wanted to give him an answer, to reassure himself more than anything. So many people had died...under his command. If he hadn't led that group of rebels, none of this would have happened...shewouldn't have died. But what was she trying to tell him...?

"They didn't die! They couldn't have died, right?"

"Of course not."

Gadot watched his friend sulk, his face downturned. He knew exactly what Snow was thinking – everything was his fault. Yet the man also knew it wasn't the time for feeling sorry for yourself.

"Hey, get a grip, man! What's wrong with you?"

Snow ignored him, looking down at his hands. One of them had held her limp wrist as she died right before him. "'Get him home...' Getwhohome, though?" murmured Snow.

Gadot rolled his eyes and pointed towards a gun laying on the ground. Before he could anything they looked up to see a Skybridge collide into a huge communications tower, its front end blasting a hole in the side. Snow was captivated. He couldn't stopthinkingabout it!

"Toss me that, will ya?" Gadot growled.

Snow retrieved a semi-automatic gun and threw it to Gadot, who caught it easily. Without a word he turned the barrel on Snow. The said man whirled, tensing. What...

"What are you doing? Going to shoot me now?" Snow said, but he wasn't entirely worried.

"So what are you afraid of, huh? Scared of what else you might do? Get over it," said Gadot, lowering the weapon. "You're supposed to be the hero." He grinned and Snow relaxed.

"Damnit, Gadot."

"She's there, ain't she? Your lovely bride-to-be? Don't you think it's about time you picked her up? All that commotion can't be good for a lady," he laughed.

The sides of his mouth curved into a smile. "Yeah, I think you're right."

The sound of engines roared over them as two aircycles landed at the end of the Trussway, blocked by cargo, debris, and even more soldiers. Gadot and Snow hurried behind a grate, peering around the edge as two soldiers unloaded, checking out the casualty count.

"There's our ride," Snow sighed. His side hurt like hell.

Gadot chuckled and stood, resting the gun on his shoulder. "That's what I like to hear."

"All right then. Let's do this."

They took off, flitting from limp body to limp body. Snow leaned down and pushed the hood back on one particular refugee and sucked in a breath. The same eyes he looked at now – unblinking and still opened wide – belonged to the girl he had watched plummet to her death earlier. For a moment, Snow simply sat in silence, still holding her hand after he had lifted it to check her pulse. He heard footsteps behind him but didn't look behind.

"She's gone, man. There's nothing else you can do," Gadot growled, peering over his shoulder at the heap.

Snow slammed a fist on the platform, gritting his teeth. "But what if this was Serah, and I couldn't help her? I let her die, Gadot. She fell right in front of me and I couldn't do anything!"

Gadot sighed but clapped Snow on the shoulder. "I feel you, but right now you have Serah to save. She needs you now, boss."

The large fist-fighter sighed and laid her hand back down, quietly standing up. There truly was nothing else he could do. Nora had been in his arms...he couldn't have saved her, right?

For the moment, Snow erased the image of that girl's face. Gadot was right. He couldn't save that girl, but hecouldsave Serah.

"I'm fine," Snow confirmed as Gadot gave him another questionable look. No more distractions.

They crept forward, ignoring the countless bodies strewn across the Trussway. Ahead was a pile of crates placed in a box shape. Around the corner were two PSICOM Enforcers, each carrying their guns, ready to fire. However, Snow's eyes were attracted to the pair of aircycles leaning against another obstruction, the engines purring quietly as green energy radiated from the back.

"You cover me and I'll take these guys out. Make sure they don't land one on me!" Snow whispered, holding up a fist. "All right, on my go.

Gadot nodded, raising his weapon and bracing himself.

"1...2..."

His red-haired friend leaped out, dashing towards the two soldiers and unloading the clip without a single look backwards.

"...3. What happened to our plan, Gadot?" Snow admonished, laughing.

"Hey, you took too long! I was takin' charge..."

"Yeah, sure. So do those aircycles work or not? We can get to Lebreau and the others with these things," Snow said, jumping in and pushing the throttle.

Gadot climbed inside the other, jumpstarting it. Both immediately rose into the air without any fuss. "That's a sad sound," Gadot complained. "Where's the soul?" He flicked the steering handle, unimpressed. As Gadot tinkered with the machine, Snow leaned out the side, peering over the hood to see the Pulse Vestige looming over the Hanging Edge. By now it had fully emerged, supported by gossamer ropes of some kind of technology no regular citizen on Cocoon knew about. Airships flashed by, but besides the actual airships carrying the structure, no one paid it any attention. Then again, there was a war being waged.

"Hey, Gadot..." called Snow.

"Yeah?"

"If you don't know who you've got to save, you try and protect them all, right?"

"What's with the deep-thinking? Something on your mind?" Gadot revved the engine, whistling when the engine responded with a rumble. "Now that's what I like to hear! Listen, you've got plenty of time to think on the way...hero. Let's just get out of here. Ready?"

Snow smirked. "Yeah."

Gadot steered the vehicle to Snow's side, gripping the handles firmly with a childish grin on his face. Seeing his expression, Snow tightened his grip and leaned forward.

"Ready?"

"Go!"

The aircycles shot off, carving a luminescent path through the chaos as they made their way to Skybridge No.103. The Pulse fal'Cie towered above, lying in wait.


	4. A Reply To The Comments

**_Jayden:_**

I just wrote it as it came to My mind i didn't know it looked like someone else's work.

 ** _Argonian Dovahkiin:_** Thank you, but i will not be updating until i have made sure that it doesn't look like I copied someone else.

\--The Thirteenth Fantasy--

 ** _A/N:_ _This was just to reply to Jayden, and Argonian Dovahkiin's comments, and i apologize to anyone who thinks i've stolen their hard work!_**


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